war

Yesterday Caritas Internationalis began a three-day meeting in Rome on issues regarding the crisis in the Middle East, with Development and Peace very much involved. The Caritas organizations of the Middle East, as well as Caritas partner associations, are meeting to assess the humanitarian situation and to re-evaluate the response of the confederation to the crises in the region.

The conflict in Syria has been ongoing for over three years now, and it has forced 2.8 million to flee the country. It is a shocking number that makes us take a moment to reflect on the sheer number of people who have abandoned their homes to escape the violence. Yet such a large number can make us lose sight that it represents 2.8 million individuals, each with a name and a story, each who had a home and a history that was all left behind with only bits and pieces carried away in a suitcase.

The need for peace in Syria hit very close to home on Wednesday, when a Caritas Syria centre in Aleppo received a direct hit from a rocket at 4 p.m. Miraculously, the centre was empty and no one was injured in the attack. The centre’s office, however, sustained significant damage.